LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Toyota Motor Corp. Toyota has decided to boost production of its Prius hybrid from an initial plan of 42,000 to 43,000 units per month to around 50,000 units, Kyodo News reported Wednesday, citing company officials.

To meet the increase, the company will ask employees at two factories producing the Prius -- one in the city of Toyota and another run by an affiliated parts maker in the city of Kariya -- to work overtime, the report said.

Toyota /quotes/comstock/!7203 (JP:7203 3,600, +40.00, +1.12%) /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 77.79, +2.47, +3.28%) rolled out a new Prius hybrid model May 18. Helped by a lower price than earlier models and by the Japanese government's tax break program for environmentally friendly cars, it has been popular, receiving orders of more than 110,000 units, Kyodo cited the officials as saying.

Why? I'm still seeing big rebates and low interest financing available on them here.

Yup this morning I drove by the Kirkland Toyota Dealership and stopped and counted 9 of the prius on the lot. Person was walking in and had a Toyota Shirt on, I asked them how long the Prius have been here on the lot and he told me they have been sitting here for at least the last couple months and they have a shipment of the new ones coming in next month (June). He also said they are getting bigger discounts for accepting the old model out of the holding lots. He expects to triple the amount of Prius and Highlander hybrids on the lot by middle of June and if I am interested, I should be able to get a hell of a deal as Toyota moves to discount and move out the hybrids.

I think we will finally see Toyota resort to Fire sales to move product and keep things going.

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Huge discounts on an outgoing model, yeah, thats a shock, GM would never do that.

Because it is Toyota we are suprised, at least I am. According to many they never need to do this or play the "tricks" GM and other compaines have for years. I thought they would have it so well planned that the last of second gen models were just gone and the third generation were just hitting lots. The points in the thread still stands, we all figured Toyota made such a good product that huge rebates are never needed. My other point is Satty, if I were looking for a car like that I'd be driving a VW TDI of some sort, some in my area has one with huge optional VW 18 inch wheels and a six speed, that car is hot. Then again I am NOT a hybrid buyer and will turn into someone like some of the smartest people around here who only by old BOF frame cars with V8's, something I respect them for. Except someday we will be happy to find FWD cars with V6's, and hell even they might be hard to come by. I think that is where we are headed, seriously and that is really sad. If this is progress I don't like it one bit.